1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a bearing structure apparatus that facilitates pivoting of a pivoting irrigation system during operation thereof.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Crops are cultivated throughout the world in a wide variety of climates with different terrains and soils. It is desirable in many of these climates to artificially supplement the climate's natural precipitation via irrigation systems to ensure crops receive adequate water. Additionally, irrigation systems can be used to deliver fertilizers and chemicals to, among other things, promote healthy crop growth, suppress weeds, and protect crops from frost.
Many irrigation systems are hose-fed and/or pipe-fed from one or more hydrants located centrally within or adjacent to a field. Alternatively, water may be ditch-fed by routing water into a ditch that runs along and/or through a field.
The hydrants or ditches are connected by a flexible hose to an overhead high-pressure sprinkler network, which includes an elevated, elongated lateral pipe section that is supported by a plurality of trusses. The lateral pipe section includes a plurality of sprinklers spaced generally along an entire length of the pipe and may extend downward toward the crops to enable distribution of water to the crops from above. Common overhead sprinkler network types include center-pivot systems and lateral-move systems.
Center-pivot systems are ideal for use in fields having circular crop areas and generally include a hydrant located in the middle of each circular crop area. In such systems, an elevated, elongated lateral pipe section with sprinklers extends from a hydrant to an outer circumference of the circular crop area such that the systems may be driven in a generally circular or semi-circular pattern over the crops to deliver water thereto during rotation.
Lateral-move systems are ideal for use in square, rectangular, and irregular-shaped fields. Such systems generally include one or more hydrants located in and/or adjacent to a field and/or one or more ditches located along or through a field that are connected to an elevated, elongated lateral pipe section with sprinklers. Unlike the center-pivot system having a lateral pipe section with a stationary end, the lateral pipe section in a lateral-move system is connected to and extends from a movable cart designed to traverse up and down a cart path. The lateral pipe section may be locked at an angle perpendicular to the cart path and pivot at an end at the cart path, which is desirable if the cart path extends down the middle of a field to enable pivoting from one side of the cart path to the other with each pass along the cart path.
In both center-pivot and lateral-move systems, the lateral pipe section is typically long, for example, twenty to thirty feet, and, in combination with the other components mounted along the lateral pipe section, exerts a significant downward force on the system. Further, due to a cantilever nature of the lateral pipe section, the downward force on the system is not perfectly balanced and is, instead, influenced by a cantilever force. Although hydraulic pressure exerted on the system by fluid running therethrough during use thereof offsets some of the load, pivoting of the lateral pipe section subjects components within conventional systems to considerable wear and tear. Often times, these components determine a time span of such conventional systems between maintenance operations with respect to a maximum number of pivots. Maintenance operations for these components are labor intensive and time consuming, which may result in considerable downtime.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pivoting irrigation system having a structure that minimizes wear and tear between pivoting components by reducing friction and distributing cantilever force, thereby increasing a time span between maintenance operations.